It was the last day of July, and Joan and I were on our way to Mistaya Lodge, our first visit to this family-run hiking and skiing resort. We arrived early in the morning at the Alpine Helicopters facility in Golden, checked in, and our baggage and our selves were weighed. Renee and Edith, who we had seen several times at Lake O'Hara, arrived on an incoming helicopter ferrying passengers back from Purcell Mountain Lodge. After a brief reunion with the Swiss couple, Joan and I queued up at our helicopter.
As you can see, it was a sunny day, and the sun-lit side of the chopper quickly became hot. But the views were great.
Here is a video, in three parts, of the helicopter activity that day: from inside the aircraft as we take off, from outside watching it land, and watching it take off.
At the lodge we had another reunion, with Wood and Chantal, who we had met a few years ago at Talus Lodge. Then our first activity was taking our luggage to our room.
The view from the window looked south to "the lake."
Then it was time to fix our packed lunches and head out on a guided hike to Boomerang Glacier. In this screenshot from Google Maps, Mistaya Lodge is the red roof circled in yellow (click to enlarge), and the glacier is at the lower left; we're heading towards the face noted in red. Its curved shape gave it the name "Boomerang."
First we walked down to the braided creek below the lodge, where a mini-hydro electric generator is located.
Then it was up the first moraine, skirting the right edge of the small lake circled in blue.
We continued to climb closer to the faces of the peaks. This one displays a huge slab of fossilized stromatolites, mounds created from mineral grains glued together by cyanobacteria in shallow water. The tectonic forces that created these mountains have forced the ancient seabed (as much as 3.5 billion years old) almost vertical.
From this same location, a rest stop, I took a panoramic photo to the east.
Just a few minutes after starting up again, we encountered a mama ptarmigan,
accompanied by three chicks.
Up and up we went, generally bearing north (this photo looks south).
Then we reached the front of the glacier,
and dropped our packs.
The photography geeks marched up to the glacier's foot to take pictures, despite warnings from our guide, Sandra, that ice melting in the July sun might let loose a rock at any time. I used a zoom to take this photo; I suppose if the shutterbugs weren't there for too long, the risk was low.
Here several of us gather around Sandra for a talk, perhaps about the geology of the area.
Far below us, part of the trail home passes through a grassy area.
A narrow ridge gave Sandra an opportunity to offer a photo-op to any of the participants. We took her up on it.
We were well and truly tired by the time we returned the lodge, and an excellent supper was appreciated by all. This final photo takes in the view of the lake by the lodge in the early evening light.
Tomorrow Joan and I must decide whether to take the all-day guided hike to West Mistaya Peak, at 9500 feet, or an easier alternative.
Our trips are well-planned and well-researched by Joan, but even so, sometimes a spontaneous day pops up. Today, July 30th, our minimum requirement is to drive to Golden, and tomorrow catch the helicopter to Mistaya Lodge. It's not far, about 36 miles, so we intend to continue on to Rogers Pass, another 51 miles, and check out the visitor's center there.
Until recently there was a lodge, Glacier Park Lodge, here adjacent to the visitors center. It closed in 2012 and is now the subject of a complex legal battle. Outside of camping there's no place to stay in this park.
Our original plan was to continue on the Trans-Canada after seeing the visitor's center, and take several short hikes in Glacier National Park (Canada). The viciously steep Selkirk mountains force trails to be either modest, in the valley, or longer and strenuous. According to our trails map, the walks range from the Hemlock Grove trail, 350 meters long and virtually flat, to Abbot Ridge, 13.6 kilometers long and 1029 meters of elevation gain.
However, it was a gorgeous sunny day, in contrast to our previous five days at Lake O'Hara. The Parks guy staffing the information booth at Rogers Pass was enthusiastic about the flowers at Mount Revelstoke -- no, they weren't past their prime yet, and sure, we could drive there and back to Golden. And Mount Revelstoke has a history with Joan's family. In its location next to the Columbia River, the mountain catches the moisture from the west and is often shrouded in clouds. Joan's mother opined that it would be wonderful to visit on a clear day, but she never was able to. Joan and two college friends visited it back in 1973, but it was cloudy and blustery at the top, suitable only for a quick lunch and departure.
Today was sunny, and the town of Revelstoke was only another 41 miles away. Driving up the 26 km (16 miles) with twenty switchbacks to the top would add some time,
but it would be worth it. It was a chance to be seized.
Just beyond Golden the Trans-Canada highway collapses back to one lane in each direction, with occasional passing lanes on uphill stretches. The traffic is heavy with trucks and RVs in addition to cars, and there are periodic construction zones, largely to clear away fallen rock. We eventually reached the correct exit and drove the switchbacks to the top.
Mount Revelstoke is immensely popular, and the existing parking areas are insufficient on a nice day. We were told to park on the side of the road, and did so. There is a shuttle service every 20 minutes from the parking area to the Upper Summit picnic area and trailheads, but Joan and I figured we could walk the 1 km trail faster than waiting for and then riding the bus.
The first trail we took upon reaching the top was the ½ km trail to the old Fire Tower.
The usual (and enjoyed) informative plaque.
We had lunch on the boardwalk around the tower. Here's one of the viewpoints.
This park is an island in a sea of resource extraction:
Zooming on the Columbia River Valley, the camera caught a lot of clearcuts.
Many peaks line Mount Revelstoke's horizon.
In real life, the trees sometimes get in the way!
We had time to take a couple of the short local trails,
in particular the Koo Koo Sint trail (click to enlarge).
And those wildflowers? Yep, they were there! This is partridge-foot.
Then it was time to stride back down to the car, and negotiate the 20 switchbacks down to the Trans-Canada. With the extra miles traveled and yet to go, we needed to stop for gas in the town of Revelstoke. The main exit there had two gas stations, and both had long lines for every pump: everybody was out today, including campers and huge RVs. We gave up on this location and drove a few miles to the east, for an earlier exit, and an easy drive into town. The downtown gas station was busy but not ridiculous, and we were soon back on our way for the 90 miles back to Golden.
It was a great day to visit Mount Revelstoke, even if everybody else in the province of British Columbia seemed to have the same idea. Joan and I were a bit hurried, with the 260 miles of driving to overcome, but we wouldn't have missed it. No siree.
I will jump this post to the front of the queue, and then we'll get back to Canada.
In November I returned to Fairfield, Iowa for another two-week visit, primarily for extended group TM meditation in the men's dome (Maharishi Patanjali Golden Dome, a mouthful) at Maharishi University of Management (MUM), but also for visiting friends and just wandering around Fairfield. Speaking of the Dome, it now has a glowing, brand-new roof. The old one had been leaking badly enough that replacing was better than patching yet again.
The women's dome (Bagambhrini Golden Dome) was in better shape, and needed only spot repairs. In this photo, the blue layer (sprayed on just as the underlying foam was) has some pockmarks on it (click to enlarge).
In a couple of days those were fixed. I do love the off-center top cupola; it creates a jaunty appearance.
But soon it was re-centered. At least the golden paint layer won't be applied until the spring, and that provides a pleasing contrast.
A striking addition was 40 kilowatts of photovoltaic solar panels on the west side of the men's dome, to supply power to the dome. At the time of my visit the two rows of panels had been installed but they weren't wired up yet.
The road past the dome from Highway 1 has been completely resurfaced. It sees a lot of traffic and the Iowa winters are very hard on it.
Work was going on all over. The McLaughlin building on the MUM campus was being repainted (work still in progress).
Seamless gutter installation on an MUM dormitory.
Porch repairs on that dorm.
The sustainable living building now has a pair of high-tech sundials on either side of the south face.
A closeup.
These are accurate timepieces, not a stick in the sand. The following poster gets blue vs. green wrong, but otherwise explains how the sundials work.
Just east of the sustainable living building is a small structure supporting more solar panels, and where batteries and other equipment are housed. I noticed a level 2 (240 volt) electric-car charger from Sun Country attached to the outside. Note the motto, "Greening Canada's Highways."
This is how the plug is arranged.
The campus library is next door, and in the foyer there was an exhibit by Bill Graeser, MUM locksmith, poet, photographer, and artist. The show included a poem -- my apologies for the poor photo, click to enlarge,
photographs,
framed art, including this "rejection match,"
and more.
Also on campus one day was a bloodmobile.
At Everybody's, the grocery-and-more store between campus and downtown, the Christmas railroad setup had begun.
Around the square, second-floor space has been and is being renovated into apartments.
Just off the square is the Istanbul Grill, a restaurant I visited for the first time on this trip. The outside is unprepossessing, but the interior is cozy,
the proprietors are charming, and the food is good. There are kebabs, steaks, and burgers to appeal to the carnivorous set, but I tried the veggie platter,
which included falafel balls, pita, tabouli, hummus, and baba ganoush. Yum!
The weather was generally agreeable on this trip, allowing several walks, some on the Fairfield Loop trail. There I encountered this sign describing the stages of the trail's construction. It lies atop a green-tinted map, perhaps a satellite view, of the Fairfield area.
These grasses near the trail caught my eye,
and they also drew the notice of my walking companion, Cary Davis.
One afternoon as I walked to the dome the light and the foliage were just right. The tree on the right of the path started dropping leaves the next day.
Here the Tower of Invincibility catches the early morning sun. It may appear to be a leaning tower, but it's not. Perhaps I was.
In my perambulations I began to take note of interesting "vanity" license plates. Ignoring ordinary specimens, such as people's initials, I focused on MUM-related themes.
I had a great rest and look forward to "Fairfield #12."
